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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — to wash
  4. key — the most important part
  5. drill — army training
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. shower — rain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. march — the month
  17. lie — to recline
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — music
  20. key — in music
  21. root — of a word
  22. key — for a lock
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com